Taiwan’s First Sex Change (1953-1955) – S6-E17 (Not suitable for minors)

The Taiwan History Podcast: Formosa Files · Jul 9, 2026 · 32m

NOTE: This is our first episode to be labeled “explicit,” not due to bad language, but because it includes reasonably direct anatomical references. It may be best not to play this aloud when minors are present.We start with the relatively unknown story of Taiwanese boys condemned to become eunuchs in Emperor Qianlong’s imperial palace, their fate sealed simply because they were the young sons of rebels. We then turn to the first gender affirmation surgery (as it might be called today) performed in Taiwan, way back in the early 1950s, with the remarkable case of soldier Hsieh Chien-shun (謝尖順)…